May this issue of The Cup sooth your curious mind, inspire you to mark yourcalendars for next year's big event, and give you reason to fritter awayanother precious lunch break.

Oh, and if you bird at all in the Basin, you're invited to join the fun andfodder. We won't laugh at your totals if you know how to make a decent beanandcheese burrito. Let the games begin...again.

???????????????????????????????????? WHO SAID THAT? ?????????????????????????????????????

The competition doesn't stop at the birding fields. The Cupper Supper is always frought with cut-throat challenges like this from our latest Supper...

Match the most quotes with the Cupper who said it and win a fabulous prize! (All quotes taken from 1998 issues of The Cup.)

1. "In recognition of my reputation for being dressed inappropriately for the weather, I've decided to do all my birding this summer wearing long underwear, a down parka, and hat and gloves."

2."On Friday, I took a day off from work for a trip around the lake. Unfortunately, I did not get past Aurora. ... By the time I got to the turnoff for Long Point, one of my brand new tires (only on the car 4 days) had gone nearly flat."

6. "I am the greatest! I see birds Evans doesn't even see in his dreams! I sting like a ichneumon wasp and fly like a woodcock! I leap small buildings (mostly doll houses) in a single bound (sometimes two)."

7. "The back channel was suffering a veritable infestation of Green-winged Teal, with Gadwalls galore, and in every opening in the rushes boasting a male Wood Duck in newly burnished baroque splendor."

8. "The glass-fronted, lighted (UV shielded, of course) display case is still on order. I expect it will go in the living room so that it will be thefirst thing guests notice when they walk in the door."

9. "I am ever so excited and thrilled to tell you I had a Northern Shrike in my dream last night."

10. "This morning I finally glimpsed what I'd been hearing for several days in the grapevine-and-hawthorne thicket: a little flock of White-throated Sparrows. How autumnal!"

11. "I understand nobody ever got to see it, because after we had all seenit, Dad got out his BB gun and the Hoary Redpoll was never seen again."

12. "The DC trophy is sitting prominently on the dash board of my car. Right above the old Cheetos wrappers and Coke cans."

13. "Even if my lady left me, I'm still gonna play the hell out whatever Iplay, because you play the blues to feel happy."

14. "As far as I know, I'm the only Cupper who keeps a sauna list."

15. "We went to Disney World, stayed for about a week, and were appropriately underwhelmed. Then we hit the good part of the trip - the Everglades."

16. "I haven't eaten breakfast. I haven't had any coffee, and all I've seen are Canada Geese. Can I have an ibuprofen?"

17. "I am currently in a birding renaissance that I expect will lead to a comfortable relationship with birding as a favored passion for life."

18. "I understand Steve Kelling is the person to talk to about Basin configuration. He told me to go ahead and count the 360 species I picked up in South Africa."

19. "Yes, this message actually is intended for the listserv."

20. "Rumor has it, [John Bower's] snoring during a 1987 flight call outing at Mount Pleasant can still be heard murmuring through the wooded hollows of Tompkins County."

Number of Cuppers who can't get into Dinasaur Barb-B-Q bluesconcerts because of their real age (not including Cup critters): 4

Number of Cuppers who can get into Dinasaur blues concertsbut who definitely get carded: 1 (Matt Medler)

Number of Cuppers who saw visits from the "stork" in 1998: 1 (that we know of) Chris Tessaglia-Hymes

Number of Cuppers who work at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: 15

Number of Cupper Critters: 6

BS BS BS BS BS Blues and Sentimental BSBS BS BS BS BS

This time of year, the David Cup committee tends to get sentimental. But alas, they couldn't bring themselves to choose a representative to read their State of the Cup address at the Cupper Supper this year (all the Members were afraid they'd get hit with flying vegie balls if they dared bring the house to tears). So we've reprinted here what would have been said at the Supper if they'd had a little more beer in them:

"To All Cuppers:

Since none on the DC committee had the guts to read this at the Supper, let ustell you now how proud we are to be part of the wild and crazy crew that callthemselves Cuppers. You are good people, we love your spirit of adventure, and you're darned good cooks. May 1999 be as full of birder comradery aswas 1998. Good luck with your totals in the upcoming year, and may youat least make the DC Top Ten! Most of all, keep having fun.

--the David Cup Committee

o o o o THE o o WINNERS' o o CIRCLE o o o o

It was down to the wire for two Cuppers this year. Would Geo Kloppel get his Lapland Longspur in time? What birds could Matt Young possibly find in the final days of the David Cup to secure victory? The truth is, everyone who tossed their totals into the ring was a winner. But the birder with the highest total at the end of 1998 was...

:< ) Mighty Matt Young ( >:

with a grand total of

239

Cayuga Lake Basin birds!

Congratulations to Matt, and to all Cuppers, on a great year of birding inthe Basin.Good luck in 1998!

THE TROPHY, DESCRIBED: If you haven't seen the David Cup, that is reason enough to come to the Cupper Supper next year! It's a very special block of wood, carefully selected from the property of Steve Kelling, who also took the time to carve out that strange hole in the center that gives it the aura of a ... block of wood with a hole in it. The name "Matt Young" will be soon be added to the list of previous victors sitting pretty in their gold placques.

All Cuppers present were presented with a one-of-a-kind David Cup certificate, awarded by MATT SARVER WHO STEPPED IN BECAUSE MATT MEDLER WAS A NO-SHOW! Thanks, Matt (Sarver, that is). Members of the 100 Club received a star sticker on their certificates, and 200 Club members also got an apple sticker that said heart-felt things like, "Good Work" and "Fantastic" -- it brought tears of pride to their eyes..or was that from the onions in the veggie balls?

McIlroy, Schmcilroy. Who cares about Ithaca? The competition is the Etna challenge...now that the this is the town where the Wells' have settled!Nonethless, it's with honor and esteem that this year's winner accepted thedirty old sneaker, er, McIlroy Award (bearing her signatures and totals from previous years):

^ ^ ALLISON WELLS ^ ^ V who saw V 172 McIlroy Birds!

THE TROPHY, DESCRIBED: A dirty old sneaker with her signatures and totalsfrom previous years. Significance of the sneaker: This is supposed to be acontestyou can win on foot. (Trophy courtesy Jeff Wells)

Another big surprise. Can anyone compete with Ken's scoped-out bedroomwindow?

-------- Ken Rosenberg -------- 139

THE TROPHY, DESCRIBED: A ruler (yard stick would be too predictable. Besides, "ruler," get it? Get it? (Courtesy of the Wells)

~ food ~ fun CUPPER SUPPER SUM-UP fodder ~ foolishness ~

All though we still haven't heard from Hollywood about the our proposal two years ago for the David Cup movie (we even went to the trouble of telling them which actor should play which Cupper, remember?), and though the David Cup Rock >n' Roll Tribute Album is still only a dream, we've gone ahead with a new plan: "IF Cuppers Were Best-Selling Contemporary Authors." Imagine the book they could write together...

(Note: this was created moments before the Cupper Supper, so only includesCuppers expected to attend.)

BIRD OF THE YEARWinner: Not the Curlew Sandpiper, not the Gyrfalcon, it was theWhite Pelicans!

MOST LIKELY TO WIN THE YARD STICK IN 1998:Winner: This was a write-in category, since the creator of thisyear's survey Matt Medler, is a renter and therefore doesn't appreciate the finer points of Yardbirding. John Fitzpatricktook this prize home. We can only assume his family stuffedthe ballot box.

MOST LIKELY TO WIN THE EVANS TROPHY IN 1998:Winner: Ken. We think. We can't remember. And we throughout the voting totals. Er, that is, Jeff did.

MOST LIKELY TO WIN THE MCILROY AWARD IN 1998:Winner: Martha Fischer. Allison definitely remembers this one.

MOST LIKELY TO WIN THE DAVID CUP IN 1998:Winner: Chris Tessaglia-Hymes, despite his having an infant...

BIRDER OF THE YEAR: Winner: Geo Kloppel. (You almost got him, Geo!)

/ EDITORS' CHOICE AWARDS \ > 'Yes, we did it again. We admitted that we couldn't put out The Cup without the help of some devoted "employees." Or at least, it wouldn'tbe as fun! We hereby acknowledge these regular contributors:

Highlights Column: Geo KloppelGot: An oriole Christmas tree ornament to hang "high" in a tree (could be a new yard bird!)

Stat's All Column: Karl DavidGot: a hat (though not presented...because Karl's in Wisconsin,remember?) because he is a man who can wear man "hats"

Bird Brain: Caissa WillmerGot: A clear ball with a penguin floating perpetually upright in some sortof clear fluid. This is symbolic of Caissa's struggle to remain "upright" inthe sea of impropriety that is The Cup

Composite Deposit and Leader's List: Geo KloppelGot: Not just a pen, a silver pen with a hummingbird on it

Yard Stick Compiler: Casey SuttonGot: Not presented due to absence. Would have beena can of Pringles, just because he loves them

Dear Tick: Dear TickGot: Nothing. This is the third year in a row this irreverent columnist has stood us up!

In recognition of his effort with the Cayugabirds Hotline, the editorsrecognized Chris Tessaglia-Hymes on behalf of all Cayugabirders. To him, we bestowed a bird song game. (It was either that or one of those bird clocks, and we just couldn't get ourselves to pay for one of those!) Besides, this gift is just right for young children...

2 3 4 5 1 DAVID CUP TOP TEN LIST 6 7 8 9 10

What were the 1998 Top Ten Reasons to Be in the David Cup? Youprobably have more than ten, but if they're not pop-culture references,they're useless to us. We run this little contest every year to give Cuppers a chance to prove they know nothing about pop culture ...because they're too busy off birding.

Remember, a fabulour prize is awarded to the Cupper who namesthe most correct references:

TOP TEN REASONS TO BE IN THE DAVID CUP 1998

10. Won't stick to most dental work. 9. In the road of life, there are passengers, and there are drivers. 8. We treat you right. 7. Read it. You'll see. 6. Hot. Wow. Now. 5. It's the daytime, non-drowsy, congested, stuffy head, sore throat, coughing, aching, fever, so you can get through the day medicine. 4. Who could ask for anything more? 3. Sometimes you feel like a nut. 2. It's part of your complete breakfast.And the #1 reason to be in the David Cup

I know the winter-lover's theme gets a little old by mid-March, but this isthe first chance I've had this year to sing it for THE CUP!

--Geo Kloppel

In 1987, Norwegian film director Nils Gaup gave us "PATHFINDER", the first feature ever filmed in the native language of the Saamen, the nomadic reindeer-herding people of Lapland. The film retells a 1000 year-old Lapp folktale, a gripping arctic adventure set in the boreal forests and out on the high tunturi of northernmost Scandinavia. Temperatures during production are said to have dropped to 40 degrees below zero, but the subsequent Academy Award nomination recognized more than supremely difficult filming conditions. The belled reindeer-sledges, traditional "joik" music, and sauna alone make the video rental worthwhile, and the film also boasts some of the most primal skiing and archery you're ever likely to see, but the story outdoes it all! If it doesn't move you to cut a hole in the ice, steam yourself ruddy and plunge into the frigid depths, you're probably already saving for a cushy retirement in the crowded sun-belt. Possibly you skipped some of the Basin's most invigorating birding in favor of earning a few extra bucks for your 401K escape plan. But as always, winter ardor seized many cuppers. Here's a recap of the hard-won highlights of the first two months of 1999:

We traditionally begin with the Ithaca Christmas Bird Count, which this year located 83 species on the first of January in spite of cold winds and the scarcity of finches. YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKERS and the first NORTHERN SHRIKE of the year are included in the total. Neither the expected Short-eared Owls nor Lapland Longspurs were found that day, but waterfowl diversity boosted the count. In the following days Marie Read relocated the Mount Pleasant SHORT-EARED OWLS, Jon Kloppel found Short-ears in the Interlaken area, and Tom Nix got a RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS near Long Point and LAPLAND LONGSPUR near King Ferry. Marie McRae spotted a MERLIN at home, Bill Evans found a BONAPARTE'S GULL and a COMMON YELLOWTHROAT at Hog Hole, and yours truly heard a NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL in West Danby, where a few PURPLE FINCHES also lingered for most of the period. Several EVENING GROSBEAKS were reported in January, but that was it for the winter finches!

Those who preferred to conduct their search for winter birds in greater comfort were provided with several big opportunities in that inviting category, the drive-up rarity. A YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD was present for days at a feeder along route 89 in Canoga, and a number of motor-birders got there at the right time to see it. A female KING EIDER took up winter residence on the south shore at Myers Point. Winter gulls at roost on the lake-ice near Canoga stayed mostly out of range, but GLAUCOUS, ICELAND and LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were viewable in fields near the Seneca Meadows Landfill by anyone who could synchronize a visit with the erratic daytime roosting of the dump-pickers. Although not Basin birds, a BARROW'S GOLDENEYE at Geneva again this winter, a RED-NECKED GREBE at Watkins Glen, and a YELLOW- BILLED LOON at the Hinckley Reservoir lured some cuppers out beyond the bounds. I mention them only as evidence of the winter hardiness of central NY birders.

Chris Butler came up with another SAW-WHET OWL in the Hammond Hill area, and Matt Young heard one near Etna, but nothing could top John Fitzpatrick's experience, reported at the Cupper Supper, of calling one in to perch on his head! Matt Young filed a first GOLDEN EAGLE report of the year. An OLDSQUAW mingled with wintering ducks at Hog Hole, and various half-hardy species turned up from time to time there and at scattered other locations. We lost snow-cover and then regained it at intervals throughout the period, making things easy for the manure spreaders, and each time the snow returned more LAPLAND LONGSPURS were discovered. NORTHERN SHRIKES appeared in the Towns of Dryden, Groton, and Newfield, and at sites in Cayuga County and Seneca County. We heard about a MERLIN escaping from the Hawk Barn at the Lab, but not whether this could be the bird that was reported in the vicinity of the Lab three weeks prior to the escape-notice. Toward the end of February a single FOX SPARROW began visiting Donna Jean Darling's feeders in Newfield. On the final evening of the month Sandy Podulka gave us a first AMERICAN WOODCOCK. Pity the poor mud-prober in the deep snow and frigid temperatures that soon returned!

Now that The Cup is bimonthly, we didn't want to leave you withoutan update on who's leading so far in this year's competitions. Not toworry, you've got plenty of time to catch up. So read and enjoy...

January/February 1999 David CupCompiled by Matt Medler

"Butler's little "paltry" comments have gotten on my nerves one time too many, so this time we're going to share them with the whole gang. As for Ralph, could he be a little more obvious in his attempt to land in the Cup Quotes? Who is this Matt Young guy, and when is he going to leave the Basin so somebody else can kick some tail? --Matt Medler

Since we're already out of order (in more ways than one), we thought we'd plug in the Leader's List and CompositeDeposit here:

LEADER'S LIST LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

No one will be surprised to find Matt Young out in front of the pack atthis point. True, part of his margin may evaporate in the spring, whenspecies scarce during the winter months become much easier to find. Moreimportant to the year list are the key winter specialties and the raritieshe has logged. And we know from Matt's previous performance that he is noshort-sprinter, out to gain a position he will later surrender. His provenstamina is equal to the challenge of sustaining a furious pace through theyear. That kind of capacity is a key that can unlock dreams - look for himto turn up some nice birds in the months ahead.

For comparison, here's where we stood at the same point in previouscompetition years:

1998: 113 Only one more, in spite of 8 winter finch species1997: 122 Tom Nix all alone in the 100 club, and leading by 10 birds1996: 102 Siskins, Pine Grosbeaks, Crossbills, but well under par!

What's it mean? Not much, probably. 1996 turned out to be a great year forthe composite (268), and 1997 was almost as good (267), but in 1998 weended down (259). So if there's any defensible conclusion on this skimpyevidence, maybe it's that we shouldn't prejudge what sort of year we haveahead.

January/February McIlroy StandingsCompiled by Matt Medler

Well, I have to hand it to Bill. He's off somewhere out of the Basin (bushwacking in Borneo?), and he still has the lead in Ithaca. Will somebody please catch him before he gets back in town? --Matt Medler

"Don't expect Allison Wells to give Ken a run in this category. But hey, at least she has an office window, right Matt Medler?"

--Allison Wells

33 Ken Rosenberg15 Allison Wells 0 Matt Medler

BATTLE OF THE TRAILERS

Here's where the real competition is this year! Two trailers, yards apart,Perpendicular to each other. One's green (sort of), one's tan (sort of).Which one will rule the Cornell Lab of Ornithology? So far, it's...

*definitely the David Cup Monopoly Game invented and assembled by Jay McGowan. A precise likeness of the board game favorite based on the David Cup! It's amazing, you've got to see it to believe it. Maybe we can have a David Cup Monopoly party...

* the smart-allect remarks about Matt "I'll definitely be back from Massachusetts in time for the Cupper Supper" Medler. Matt, we still love you!

* Ken's collection of blues tapes (all bootlegged, of course)

* John Fitzpatrick's recounting of the saw-whet owl that landed on his head the night before. No kidding! It was tooting in his yard, he tootedback,and the owl flew in for a quick light. If life were always so good!